Surprise, surprise, the Nick Diaz vs Carlos Condit rematch is in the works
In round one, it appeared Diaz went mostly to the head and body. Even though the total number of strikes landed was fairly close, it appeared Diaz landed the better, harder blows. Adding aggression, it sure seems that Diaz had won a 10-9 round.
The second round was Diaz’s best. He found success by backing Condit up and unloading his flurry of punches. That puts Diaz ahead 20-18.
The momentum shifted in the third round, as Condit began to loosen up and get comfortable. He stuck to his in-and-out movement and was beginning to frustrate the former Strikeforce champion. So this close 10-9 round for Condit, now makes it 29-28 at this point.
The fourth round was likely Condit’s best round of the fight as he landed numerous strikes on an opponent who appeared to be coasting. With this 10-9 round for Condit, you have the fighters neck-n-neck at 38-38.
Early in the fifth, it appeared Condit would have continued success, but that’s when Diaz got his takedown. With back control, he worked to secure a rear-naked choke. While Condit finally escaped just as time expired, he did spend most of the round defending against that submission. With Diaz taking that final round, we have him winning 48-47.
At the post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White mentioned he was open to the possibility of a rematch. But then he had to go and muddy the waters by adding, “of course it conditional. Both parties have to agree.” It sounded as though Mr. White was opening the door for a cop out. At that point, Condit’s people indicated they were not interested in a rematch. Then, later, several people in the know claimed the parties were close to a deal after Condit had accepted the rematch proposal with the UFC Interim Welterweight title on the line. Once the Diaz camp received the news, they were elated.
With the former champion, George St. Pierre still recovering from his ACL injury, you had to figure this was going to be the outcome since there was far too much money to be made.
Our favorite Nick Diaz quote: “I will break Gsp’s foot off and use it as a hood ornament for my shit honda.” “Gsp” of course stood for George St. Pierre who at this time, already had knee problems, and now they wanted him to be without a foot? That seems harsh.
